


Fighting for Love

by Meynara



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Canon Compliant, M/M, Pining Keith (Voltron), s4 compliant, takes place after S4 but no knowledge of S4 needed to understand
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-23
Updated: 2017-12-23
Packaged: 2019-02-19 04:20:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,387
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13115904
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Meynara/pseuds/Meynara
Summary: Keith knew something wasn't right after Shiro had been found and returned to them, but he couldn't put his finger on it. Not until suddenly he was running from the man he loved, the man who was trying so hard to kill him right then.





	Fighting for Love

**Author's Note:**

> Written for [theclichefortunecookie](http://theclichefortunecookie.tumblr.com/) on tumblr for the [voltron-ss](http://voltron-ss.tumblr.com/) event! I hope that you enjoy and have a happy holiday season!

Keith had never been so relieved when they had found Shiro -- when the Black Lion had found him, locked onto his vitals -- vitals that had been falling, falling, they were so close to him but almost not close enough -- but he was there and they had found him, they had managed to rescue him and if he seemed different it wasn’t that big a deal because he’d survived being held by the Galra once more.

 

Anyone would be different after that, wouldn’t they? Keith told himself that constantly, ignoring the faint pangs in his chest that told him nothing would be the same -- that Shiro wasn’t the same.

 

Because Shiro was still Shiro, wasn’t he? Nothing could change that, nothing could ever change that, and if it seemed the Black Paladin was a bit more distant than he had been, well that was his choice.

 

Keith told himself it was alright, that everything would fix itself again one day, that they would still be friends no matter if Keith longed for -- wanted something more. But then there were so many things that stopped adding up. So many things that just...didn’t fit.

 

Then, finally, months after Keith had given up his claim as a paladin of Voltron, making sure Shiro was seated in the cockpit of the Black Lion once more, everything fell into place.

 

Something was very, very wrong with Shiro. This wasn’t the Shiro he had known, had admired for so long, had fallen in love with.

 

_________________________

 

“Shiro, please -- don’t do this.” Keith’s voice was raw, as if he had been screaming for hours...

 

...because he had been, sweat running down his face, his body as he dodged the blows coming from his friend. His best friend.

 

His love.

 

“I have to, Keith, you don’t understand,” Shiro’s voice, in contrast, was rather growly, his arm glowing a sickly purple, his eyes glowing yellow. His face, however, was an expression of horror. “I have to do this. I can’t put my wants, my needs over that of the entire universe...no matter how much I want to.” And with that, he leapt forward once again, glowing arm slashing at Keith’s abdomen, only for Keith to no longer be where he had been.

 

Shiro might be strong, and fast, and equipped with technology neither of them had ever dreamed of back on Earth, but Keith wasn’t exactly human. Not entirely.

 

Even so, Keith’s endurance was nowhere near as high as Shiro’s. It was inevitable that the Red Paladin would fall to the Black.

 

Failure wasn’t an option, not for either man.

 

“I can’t just let you do that, Takashi. I know you don’t have a choice -- I know you can’t control yourself entirely right now--” His voice cut off as he moved, only just in time, out of the way of the next blow coming from Shiro. “-- but the Universe needs all of the paladins. I might not be piloting Red, or Black, but I’m still a Paladin of Voltron. Surrender is never, has never been an option.”

 

Shiro kept attacking, and Keith kept dodging, unwilling to fight back this time, knowing that while Shiro wasn’t in full control of his body -- he was in control of his mind.

 

Was forced to watch as his body moved without his say so.

 

Would be forced to watch as Keith died if help didn’t arrive.

 

He wouldn’t make Shiro watch him fight if he could help it, because he knew -- he knew! -- Shiro was still in there, fighting, that he would need his strength.

 

It might be the last thing that he did to help and he knew it. They had six Paladins for five Lions, after all. There had been several reasons no one really fought when he went to the Blade of Marmora full time, and that was the biggest one.

 

As he moved to try and dodge again, he didn’t get out of the way in time, Shiro’s arm searing into his flesh, cutting past the material of his Marmora uniform, and tearing his skin and muscle apart while cauterizing the parts it touched, preventing too much blood flow, but the pain…

 

...he could handle pain, but already the world was beginning to spin. He couldn’t move as quickly now, his reactions were dulled.

 

And when Shiro came in for the final blow, eyes screaming for Keith to _fight back_ , all he could do was drop his weapons with a smile as he fell back onto the ground, into unconsciousness, with three words accompanying what was sure to be his final breath.

 

**_“I love you.”_ **

 

___________________________________

 

There was quite the gathering around the healing pods, though only one was currently occupied -- had been occupied for a few days now. Most of those gathered were quietly watching the one who wasn’t quiet -- the one who couldn’t seem to keep from pacing and talking, muttering under his breath and cursing himself over and over and over again, hands clenched into fists, and a clamp resting on his non-flesh arm, preventing him from doing anything more than the most basic tasks with it. The other Paladins, along with Coran, Lotor, and Kolivan, were unable to do anything more than watch and wait -- whether from concern, or something else, no one seemed inclined to stop Shiro.

 

Lance had no quips for the situation, his eyes locked on the pod that currently held their former teammate and leader. Hunk kept leaving the room and returning with more food, not only ensuring the others kept fed but also giving himself an outlet to his anxiety, giving him something to do -- anything -- other than staring and standing in the room with everyone else. Pidge was working on something at her computer, or trying to, her gaze moving between Shiro and the one occupied pod.

 

Allura, for her part, seemed the least worried -- though that could have been just due to how well she wore masks over her very being, her gaze moving between Keith and Shiro as well, but lingering more on Shiro, as if waiting for something more than angry words to come from the Black Paladin. Kolivan stood beside her, his gaze locked on Shiro, looking as blankfaced as ever, but something about how he stood, how tense his body was, gave away just how little he trusted the man. Lotor looked oddly amused, the one who really stood out from the rest because he didn’t have any real stakes in what happened here -- yet here he was, keeping vigil over the fallen half-Galra along with the others.

 

And Coran? He was tinkering with another pod, trying to keep busy, but unwilling to leave the room. Keith would, hopefully, emerge from the pod soon, and everything would go back to normal -- or at least, close to normal. As long as nothing happened in the pod like it had a couple of days prior -- where Keith’s vitals had begun to drop rather than stabilize, pushing his recovery back longer -- he should be out any time now.

 

The only indication they had that the healing pod was done was the soft ‘tsss’ of the pod opening, the air escaping as the glass lowered and Keith, still wearing his torn Marmora uniform, went to step forward groggily. Just as he began to sway forward, about to fall on his face, a pair of strong arms caught him.

 

The first thing he was fully aware of was a smell that could only really be described as ‘Shiro’, if a bit strong, a mixture of sweat and metal, something that Keith loved. He didn’t mind the crushing hug he found himself in, his face against Shiro’s chest, just below his chin, feeling as Shiro’s head lowered to rest on his shoulder, lips near his ear as he spoke, his voice soft, but ragged.

 

“Keith, I love you, please don’t leave me again -- please...don’t do anything so reckless again…”

 

There was still so much to be answered -- what had taken control of Shiro, why they had fought to begin with, how to prevent such a thing from happening again -- but right at that moment, Keith didn’t care.

 

He had Shiro. He had **his** Shiro, the one he had known and loved for so long.

 

_**And Shiro loved him.** _

 

Everything else could be sorted out later.


End file.
